Acting upon Qur'an teachings(1/6) - The Obligations Muslims Owe to the Qur’an

IV

Hukm Wa Iqamat

(Molding the personal life of the individual and the collective life of the community according to the teaching of the Qur’an)

We have already considered three of the duties we owe to the Qur’an and now we proceed to consider the fourth. It is that  we  should  act  upon  its  teachings.  Obviously,  we  are required to believe in the Qur’an, study it, and ponder over its meanings in order that we may act upon its teachings in our actual life. The Qur’an is not a book of magical formulas or mantras which are chanted to ward off evil. It is not a mere instrument for the attaining of blessings. Its ayaat are not to be recited only for the sake of getting a reward from Allah (SWT) or for reducing the agony of death. Nor is it a subject of investigation and research in the sense that it should provide a good exercise to our intellectual and imaginative faculties so that  we  could  indulge  in  all  sorts  of  abstruse  thinking  and useless hair-splitting in the interpretation of its meanings.

The Qur’an, as we all know, is huda lil-naas, guidance for mankind. The purpose for which this Book has been revealed will be realized only if people act upon its teachings and make it a guide for them in every sphere of their life. The Holy Prophet (SAW) has made it crystal clear that no useful purpose will be served by reading the Qur’an and pondering over its meaning if we do not try to mold our lives according to its injunctions. If we disregard its injunctions, the reading of the Qur’an, instead of doing us any good, will undermine our faith. In this context, the Holy Book speaks in unequivocal terms:

…and whosoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, such are the disbelievers. (Al-Ma’idah 5:44)

We have further clarification of, and emphasis over this point in the following traditions of the Holy Prophet (SAW):

None of you can become a believer until all his desires are subordinated to what I have brought (i.e., the Revealed Guidance). (Narrated in Sharah Al-Sunnah)

One who deems lawful what the Qur’an declares unlawful is not a believer in the Qur’an (i.e., in reality, he does not hold it to be a Divine Revelation.) (Narrated by Tirmidhi)

The  case  of  a  person  who  is  still  exploring  and wandering in quest of truth, and has yet to decide after a careful study of the Qur’an whether it is the absolute truth or not, is different. 

However, the person who believes the Qur’an to be the Book of Allah (SWT) cannot benefit himself from it at all unless he studies it with a firm resolve that, however heavy the odds and however great the sacrifices, he would abide by its injunctions and modify his character according to its teachings. As we have already stated while explaining the literal meaning of the term tilawat, the Qur’an yields its perfect guidance only to those who abandon themselves to it and pore over it long and assiduously. Self-abandonment combined with a prolonged concentration born of a deep cultivated self-discipline generates that state of submissiveness and self-effacement which has been referred to in the above-quoted tradition viz: “None of you can become a believer until all his desires are subordinated to what I have brought.”

Source:The Obligations Muslims owe to The Quran (Book by Dr. Israr Ahmad)

Tazakkur Wa Tadabbur(6/6) - The Obligations Muslims Owe to the Qur’an

Comprehension Technology

Particularly for the dissemination of the teaching of the Qur’an and the propagation of its message in the present day world (which is also a duty incumbent upon every Muslim), it is necessary that one should be fully equipped with modern knowledge, otherwise he will not be able to discharge this duty. 

Each generation inherits a large amount of knowledge from its predecessors and transmits it on to the succeeding generation with its own contribution added to it. Thus knowledge goes on accumulating as it passes from one generation to another. The present generation has received, by this process of transmission, a stupendous stock of knowledge consisting of logic and philosophy, religion and metaphysics, ethics and psychology and other social sciences. This huge amount of current knowledge has dominated and dazzled the mind of the people who had developed a naive belief in many wrong views. One requires a fairly good knowledge of modern sciences and should be conversant with not only the subject-matter of these sciences but also  with  their  original  sources  and  the system of principles underlying them. Only then he will be able to deal a crushing blow, in the manner of Ibn Taimiyyah (RA) and Imam Ghazali (RA), at the very root of the false notions prevailing in his time. 

In  this  respect,  the  present  age  has  touched  the  highest watermark. Besides the remarkable progress in the field of social sciences, it has witnessed as unprecedented advancement of the physical   sciences   and   technology   which   has   stunned   the humanity and has rendered it incapable of making critical appraisal of the misguiding views that have found currency in the modern world.

Under these circumstances, the imperative duty of comprehending and interpreting the Qur’an cannot be fulfilled unless some patient and persevering men address themselves to this momentous task with single-minded devotion, equipping themselves with both classical and modern knowledge adequate for the task. These dedicated and fully equipped scholars of the Qur’an would carry out a searching analysis of the modern knowledge and shift the sound from the fallacious in the light of the Qur’an. They would approach the intellect of the modern man, making a judicious use of modern terminology and sophisticated methods of logical reasoning. Thus they would be able to illumine the minds of their contemporaries with the light of Qur’anic guidance. In this way the duty of “explaining the Qur’an to the people” which was performed by the Holy Prophet (SAW) himself in his life time would be performed by his Ummah in the present age.

Now the question arises: How can we produce such scholars? Obviously they cannot be produced until we have, all over the Muslim world, a network of universities which concentrate on Qur’anic Research, making it the hub and center of their intellectual activity. Round this central department, these universities   should   build   up   other   departments   like   the department of theoretical sciences such as logic, metaphysics, ethics,  psychology,  and  religion;  the  department  of  social sciences such as economics, political science, and law; and the department of physical sciences such as mathematics, chemistry, physics, geology and astronomy. Every student who joins such a university should take up Qur’anic Studies as a compulsory subject  and  should  study  one  or  more  of  the  disciplines  as elective subjects according to his own taste and aptitude. Thus he will be able to carry out research on the Qur’an in the sphere of  his  own  study  and  present  the  light  and  guidance  of  the Qur’an effectively to the people.

Obviously, this is not an easy task. That is why it is not the responsibility of every person. It is to be done by only those persons who are born with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and whose minds are agitated by obstinate problems which can only be solved through prolonged thinking and reasoning. Such men  are  impelled  to  imbibe  learning as  a starving person is compelled to seek food and drink, and they march on, constantly uttering the prayer: “My Lord! Advance me in knowledge.” If they happen to receive proper guidance, they get a goodly share of knowledge and wisdom. Comprehension and interpretation of the Qur’an is, in reality, the privilege of these persons. However, every seeker of knowledge can participate in this noble task according to his ability and the time he can devote to the task. In order to provide an inducement to people for the study of the Qur’an the Holy Prophet (SAW) has said:

The best among you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it (to others). (Narrated by Bukhari)

and, in the same context, we have a general instruction in the Qur’an:

…why did not some people from every habitation leave their homes so that they could develop an understanding of religion…. (Al-Taubah 9:122)

This understanding of religion is the fruit of a deep and meditative study of Qur’an. It is this understanding which the Holy Prophet (SAW) wanted his Companions (RAA) to develop. He  especially  prayed  for  some  of  them  that  they  might  be granted a keen insight into religion. He also qualified his observation that “The best of you in Jahiliyyah are the best of you in Islam” with “provided they understand the religion.”

Source:The Obligations Muslims owe to The Quran (Book by Dr. Israr Ahmad)